Naruto: The Uzumaki Hyuga Stories
by Bankai-Mizu
Summary: As the years passed, the leaf village's residents continued living in harmony. Last year, Sakura left, and with her went Naruto's love. Though alone in love, he was still surrounded by friends, one whom was closer than he thought. This is their story.


This is my first fan fic, but I still appreciate any kind of feedback.

I'd like to note that none of the characters in this story are mine. They are the property of their creators.

Whenever you see a larger space before a new paragraph, that's the start of a new chapter.

And on a final note, Naru-Hina 4EVUR!!!

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Hinata began their return to the Leaf Village. It was only a C-Rank mission, but challenging nonetheless. "Phew, I'm glad that mission is over!" exclaimed Naruto. Both Shikamaru and Hinata were unharmed after the long mission, but Naruto on the other hand… "Naruto, why'd you have to run in like an idiot? You should've figured out by now that that's why you're the only one hurt. You're so troublesome." said Shikamaru, obviously not concerned for Naruto. Shikamaru may not have cared, but Hinata showed interest in his wounds. "Naruto," said Hinata, her voice soft and trembling "maybe we should stop and help you take care of your injuries." Shikamaru watched as Hinata's face became slightly flush and her knees began to knock; she was definitely nervous about something. And then it came to him; he understood the reason why she was acting so strangely, but for now he kept it to himself and said, "I suppose if we don't want him to be troublesome on the way back, he needs to heal a bit."

So, the three ninja walked ahead for a few minutes along the forest path. As time passed, they came to an open field with a lone tree bathed in sunlight on top of a small hill, light fading in and out as the clouds passed overhead. "Let's stop here, Shikamaru!" Naruto demanded, eager to rest, "That tree should give us some shade from the heat while we wait for me to heal." Shikamaru looked over at him, nodded, and then lowered his head solemnly. "We don't have time to wait, Naruto, we need a fast way to get you better so we can return to the village by tomorrow night." And with that, Naruto sat down with his back against the tree while Shikamaru pondered to himself.

A breath of air escaped Hinata's mouth as she prepared to speak, "um, Naruto? Maybe I can help you heal with the training I've been getting from lady Tsunade." Naruto woke up to the idea and nods, "Okay, Hinata. It's worth a shot, go ahead!" As Hinata walked towards Naruto, her heart began beating faster. Naruto lay down under the shade of the tree, removed his coat and rolled up his pant legs so his wounds were easier to work on. Hinata's thoughts were racing, her focus was shifting, her sight blurring. She took one last deep breath to calm down and began focusing her chakra in her hands for the healing technique. As her hands passed over Naruto's wounds, they began to heal very rapidly, much faster than Shikamaru or Naruto had anticipated.

Soon, Naruto was fully healed; he stood up with no trouble at all. "Wow, thanks Hinata," exclaimed Naruto, gratefully, "that's much better!" Hinata looked up at him and smiled as a bead of sweat dropped down her face, "You're welcome, Naruto." Shikamaru appeared relieved, "C'mon you two, we've gotta get going before nightfall" he calls. "Alright, Shikamaru, let's go!" shouted Naruto, impatiently.

And just like that, they all headed out with Shikamaru taking the lead, Naruto tailing him and Hinata ever so close behind Naruto. The sun was beginning it's decent into sunset. All was calm in the forest; the birds had settled down for the night; the crickets were only now beginning to make their song; all was at peace. Just then, Naruto heard a thump. He looked behind him to see Hinata collapsed on the ground. "Hinata!" he shouted in concern. Shikamaru turned to see what was happening. Naruto kneeled in front of her and picked her head up in his hand, "She passed out, but how? It's not hot enough out here for her to just fall over like that", claimed Naruto, his voice quivering slightly. "Don't you get it Naruto?" questioned Shikamaru, his tone growing upset and impatient, "she must've used too much chakra healing your wounds. That explains why you were healed so quickly. It's a wonder she's gotten this far with so little energy left." Naruto's expression suddenly changed, displaying much guilt, "So, this is sorta my fault, huh Shikamaru?" he asked solemnly. "Well," Shikamaru replied, "not entirely, but she did do it out of concern for you." Naruto focused his gaze on Hinata, her eyes shut and obviously distant, "Then I guess I owe it to her to carry her." Carefully, Naruto lifted Hinata up on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. She stirred groggily, "_…Naruto?_" Her eyes were half open and she took notice of where she was positioned. Naruto heard her soft voice, "Oh good, you're awake. Don't worry Hinata, it's only fair that I help you since you helped me." She smiled and started to blush, "Something wrong Hinata? You look flushed", questioned Naruto. "No, I'm perfectly fine now." Shikamaru looked on at the two and thought to himself '_good job Naruto, you've grown very well_.' "C'mon guys, let's set up camp for now."

As the light of day entered its final minutes, Naruto and Shikamaru set up a small campsite. Shikamaru cleared a space of earth for a fire. Using some firewood he collected, and sparks from clashing his kunai together, Shikamaru started a fire. Meanwhile, Naruto found a soft plot of earth and gently set Hinata down. "Hey, you okay?" asked Naruto quietly. Hinata looked up into his eyes and nodded. "Okay, we'll settle here until morning" said Shikamaru, "we could all probably use the rest anyway." Shikamaru settled in and quickly fell asleep, as did Naruto. Hinata, however, stayed awake for quite some time, staring quietly at the starry sky above her. After some time passed, she looked over to Naruto and saw that he was quivering, '_he must be cold_' she thought. So Hinata got up, took off her coat, and laid it over Naruto. The quivering stopped almost instantaneously and he slept peacefully. Hinata returned to her spot and finally fell asleep. However, she did not realize that the added warmth caused Naruto to awaken. He opened his eyes and found Hinata's coat over him. Then, tilting his head to face her, he saw Hinata shivering in her sleep. Even in the darkness of the night, with just the glowing embers of the fire acting as a light source, you still could've seen the smallest tear form in Naruto's eye. He stood up slowly, picked up Hinata's coat, and walked over to her side. "I think I'm starting to get it, Hinata", he whispered. He draped her coat across her body, and balled his coat up under her head for a pillow. He then settled down on the ground, not much more than a foot away from her side, and fell asleep.

Dawn came and passed, and the sunlight began to break through the trees. Shikamaru was the first to wake up. He looked across from where he was sleeping and noticed the scene that had taken place the night before. He closed his eyes and smiled, then disappeared into the trees to keep lookout until the others woke up. Naruto was next to rise, almost immediately after Shikamaru left. He noticed some rustling leaves in the trees and got up the energy to follow. He settled on a branch next to Shikamaru and asked him how his night was. "I was about to ask you the same, Naruto" he responded. "Well," said Naruto, "I'd say it was pretty good. A little cold if ya ask me." "That's cuz you're not wearing your coat you dunce" Shikamaru remarked. They met eyes for a moment, and then looked back to the campsite. "You can see it too, can't you Naruto?" asked Shikamaru. Naruto perked his head up to watch Shikamaru speak. "And don't play dumb, you know exactly what I mean." He bowed his head again, "Yeah," he replied "but I don't know how I should act." "Yes you do!" Shikamaru remarked, "We all do, but we just don't know it. All you have to do is act natural and things will turn out fine. Just look at me and Temari." Naruto's face expressed confusion, but he understood what Shikamaru meant. The two exchanged glances, and then looked back down at Hinata. She was just starting to wake up. Naruto watched as she noticed the coat across her chest and the makeshift pillow under her head. She picked up the coat, hugged it tightly, and looked out into the trees. Then she put her coat back on and called out to Naruto and Shikamaru to come back.

The squad gathered and prepared to depart. Hinata handed Naruto his coat and he put it back on. The two looked at each other for a moment, and then over to Shikamaru. "Alright you two," he exclaimed, calling for action "we've gotta get going now if we're going to make it back by sundown!" And so they began their long trek back to the Leaf Village. The woods they were traveling through haven't been used for years, and were covered in brush and overgrown plants; the path was barely visible. Shikamaru lost his balance over a slightly overgrown root and the word 'troublesome' snaked its way out of his mouth. '_That wouldn't have sucked so much if I wasn't in front._'

Naruto let out a chuckle as Shikamaru stumbled. Hinata shifted her eyes to Naruto, smiled for an instant, and then returned to staring distantly at the ground. Only one thing was on her mind, and that was, '_what does he really think of me?_' Her thoughts may have attempted to drift slightly now and then, but they always returned to that lone question. Meanwhile, Naruto had noticed her distant eyes following the dirt path, so he decided to slow down until he was positioned only a few inches behind her. "What's up, Hinata?" he asked. Hinata jumped in surprise. She tried to pull herself together to answer his question. "N-n-nothing" she responded, waving her palms across her face to hide her expression, "nothing at all, Naruto." Naruto's mouth opened slightly, as if to speak. He closed his mouth, looked down and shrugged.

Shikamaru was doing a bit of deep breathing to help ignore Naruto's chuckle. "Just forget it, Shikamaru. He's a dunce, anyway" he said to himself. The sun was already high in the sky. They'd slept later than expected and were behind schedule. "Looks like it's gonna be another day before we get back" stated Shikamaru, "the Hokage's gonna be pissed at me because you two like sleeping so much." Naruto's eyes shot up, fire forming in his pupils, "What're you blaming this on us for?! You slept almost as long as we did!" Shikamaru replied, in an exhausted tone, " 'Almost' is the operative word, dipstick." And they continued walking…

The path was at peace for quite some time; the peace was broken by a loud '_grrrmbb_'. Shikamaru and Hinata both turned to face Naruto. Naruto on the other hand faced his stomach. Shikamaru let out a sigh, "So troublesome. Well, I guess it can't be avoided. Naruto, what did you pack for our food?" In his head, Shikamaru was wishing he hadn't asked. Naruto reached into his pack and pulled out a large box with the word 'Ramen' spelled out in noodle-shapes on top. "Ramen! Ramen!! Ramen!!! Let's eat!" shouted Naruto. "Ahem, we can't eat raw noodles, Naruto. And why do you always have to have ramen? It's kinda annoying after a while" proclaimed Shikamaru. "How do you think, we'll use some water in…a…pot……and………" Naruto's voice slowly trailed off as he understood Shikamaru's concerns. Naruto's expression dwindled equally as fast. "I may have a solution." Shikamaru and Naruto looked over at Hinata. She was acting nervous, and was unsure about what they would think of her idea. "What do you mean, Hinata?" questioned Shikamaru. "Um, well…lady Tsunade taught me more than just healing techniques. I've been training with Fire Style, as well. I could use that to heat up some water", explained Hinata. So, they dug up some soil to shape a bowl and patted it until the earth was firm. Naruto poured some water from a canteen into the "bowl" and Hinata proceeded to summon her chakra. "Fire Style: Fireball no Jutsu!" And with that, a burst of fire was released from Hinata's mouth and shot at the water. Naruto smiled wide, and then poured all of the ramen into the bowl. The heat from the fire cleared all traces of mud from the water. Hinata maintained a steady flame for a short while, then she let the water boil on its own. About two or three minutes passed before the noodles were fully cooked. Naruto dropped in some seasonings and some pork that came in the box. "There," he said with enthusiasm, "now we can eat!" Naruto, Shikamaru, and Hinata gathered around the bowl of hot noodle soup and began to eat.

The three enjoyed each other's company around the food, although Naruto seemed to enjoy the ramen more than anything else. As the meal drew to a close, so did their second day in these woods. Shikamaru let out a long sigh of satisfaction, and then said "Well, looks like nightfall's approaching. It'll be troublesome to try and make a place to sleep in the dark. I'll get a fire started. Naruto, you clean up the hole we dug. Hinata, you should find a place to sit; to use a technique like that without incredibly extensive training must've taken its toll on you. We don't want you fainting again from exhaustion." Shikamaru disappeared into the woods, cut up some branches with his kunai, and returned to, yet again, make a fire. Naruto, likely influenced by Kyuubi's spirit, buried the hole like a dog buries a bone. Hinata watched him and giggled a bit. "Hey, Naruto!" shouted Shikamaru, "I'm gonna need some help with these branches. Quit playing with that hole and get over here!" Naruto was upset with how Shikamaru asked this of him, but he bit his lip and followed his orders, saying, "I'll be right back" to Hinata. She watched him rush off into the dense forest, then found a place to sit. "Naruto," she said to herself "please stay here. It hurts to watch you go away, if even for a few moments." She sat still for a moment, then began letting her mind wander. However, just like before, they always returned to that same question, '_what does he really think of me?_'

"Jeez, Shikamaru," said Naruto, complaining, "isn't this a bit excessive?" The pile of wood he and Shikamaru were bringing back easily weighed over two hundred pounds, and it was difficult to hold up. "Stop complaining, Naruto", responded Shikamaru, "didn't you notice the clouds moving in?" Naruto paused, and looked up at the sky. He hadn't noticed, because he was too busy eating his ramen. "Hey, you're right. Is it gonna rain or something?" "Not likely, those clouds aren't rain clouds," said Shikamaru, his tone as matter-of-fact as ever, "but it's going to be colder tonight, so we'll need to keep the fire going as long as possible." They began walking again, and returned to the camp within a couple minutes. Naruto quickly dropped his side of the wood. Shikamaru wasn't ready for the added weight and dropped his side as well, missing his foot by a mere inch. "You idiot!" he cried, "Can't you try and warn me first?!" The slam of the firewood woke Hinata out of her daze. Shikamaru prepared some kindling at the base, and stacked up some large logs to burn. He struck his kunai for a spark and again the flame ignited.

The sky became gray before turning black, as the clouds were blocking out the sunlight. The squad of ninjas sat in front of the blaze, watching the flames dance in the dark of night. Shikamaru seemed to be deep in thought, as he was rarely blinking. Naruto was having trouble sitting still, as usual. Hinata, on the other hand, had returned to her thoughts. The fire, strangely enough, did little to warm her. She was shivering as her hands began to lose some color. '_The cold's settling in faster than I'd expected_' thought Shikamaru. Naruto was oblivious to the cold; his full stomach of hot ramen kept him plenty warm. He looked to his left and saw Shikamaru ignoring the cold as best he could, and then he peered through the fire. Though the flames were dancing brilliantly, he could make out the figure of Hinata shivering, almost to the point where it hurt. He stood up and walked over to her. "Hinata?" he asked, "Hand me your coat, I have an idea I wanna try." Hinata looked puzzled for a moment, but she couldn't make herself refuse his request. She removed her coat and huddled closer to the fire for added warmth, while handing it over to Naruto. He took a look at her coat and then at his and began to smile. "Perfect!" he exclaimed, "This should help a lot!" Hinata watched in curiosity; even Shikamaru showed interest. Naruto held his coat by the bottom of the zipper, and

brought the other side of Hinata's closer. He then hooked his zipper onto her coat's zipper and slowly drew it upward. The coats combined into one. Hinata was still a bit puzzled, but Naruto was sure that would end soon. He settled down on the soft patch of earth next to Hinata, and proceeded to drape the combined coats across both of their backs. "This should keep us plenty warm, Hinata", said Naruto, his voice genuine, almost soothing to her ears. He huddled closer to her, closed his eyes and smiled peacefully. At first, Hinata could barely move, but as the seconds drew into minutes, and the minutes to hours she began to ease her head against his shoulder as she began to fall asleep. Naruto slowly lay back as he moved the coat-blanket from their backs so they could nestle under it. He eased her head slowly back until she lay sleeping across his chest. The fire dimmed; Shikamaru placed one last log on top of it and then let himself drift off into sleep. The forest soon joined them as all the activities of the inhabitants quickly died down. A last breath of wind blew across the trees, as if to whisper _sshhhh _to anyone still awake. All was quiet.

Morning began to approach from the east. It was that time of morning when the dew reflects the early sunlight; it was the time when birds were beginning to awaken, and the entire forest became lost in their calming chirps. Naruto stirred from his slumber; he was the first one awake. His body twitched, trying to get him up, but when he tilted his head down, he saw Hinata resting peacefully on his chest, and chose not to rise. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her, holding her closer to his heart. He looked at her sleeping face and stroked her hair for a minute, then lay back down.

Hinata opened her eyes to see the glowing of the morning light across the dew-soaked grass. She peered upward to see Naruto resting, his head tilted slightly towards her. It didn't take long to notice the extra weight of Naruto's arm wrapped around her shoulder. She looked at his hand, and then stared at his face, but her face held no thoughts at all; her mind was clear, but her emotions were ready to explode. If she hadn't held herself back, she would've begun soaking Naruto in her tears. Her emotions finally drew up a single thought which echoed throughout her mind, 'I can't believe he's actually holding me in his arms. Naruto, please don't ever move from this spot. I don't want this to ever end.'

As Hinata's movements began to settle back down, Naruto decided it was time to get up. He slowly and gently lifted Hinata's head off of him and carefully placed her on the ground. Then he sat up, stretched and let out a big yawn. Shikamaru and Hinata both began to slowly rise after hearing Naruto's 'call'. "Guess that means it's time to get up, eh Naruto?" said Shikamaru, groggily. Hinata turned her head and began to rub her eyes. Once her vision cleared, she realized that Naruto was looking right at her. "Sleep well, Hinata?" Naruto asked. It was a strange thing for him to ask, considering how he knew they were both awake a moment ago, relaxing in each other's embrace. "I did. How 'bout you, Naruto?" she responded. "Pretty good, actually. I think I slept on a rock, though." Sure enough, there was a small rock protruding out from the ground right under where Naruto had slept. Shikamaru had been overlooking their exchange of thoughts about their sleep, "Don't worry about me", he said in a jealous tone, "I'm just fine over here." Hinata and Naruto looked at him for a second; Naruto smiled, Hinata just stood up and stretched. "C'mon you two," said Shikamaru, "if we hurry back, maybe the Hokage won't chew me out too much for being late."

The three ninjas immediately picked up their things, got dressed, and once more resumed their walk to the Leaf Village. The sky was cloudy, but definitely looked like it would be clearing up. Shikamaru was sick of being in front (mostly because he didn't want Naruto to try teasing him again), so he told Naruto to lead while Hinata followed in second so he could keep an eye on her if anything happened again. Naruto was not so easily deterred from getting Shikamaru worked up. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, sighed, and looked up at the sky as if he was in deep thought. All Shikamaru could think about was what he would say to the Hokage to make her angrier with Naruto than with him. Hinata, however, didn't seem to notice. She was lost in thought, staring at the ground as it moved by under her feet. Shikamaru was watching her, 'Today could be her last chance', he thought, 'Naruto, don't screw this up for her. She deserves to be happy.'

They continued to travel through the forest. Naruto continued looking forward for a while, his face devoid of any thought or emotion. Hinata would look up once every so often. Her mouth would open and her eyes would light up for a moment, but every time she returned her attention to the ground. Naruto turned his head around once and saw her, but again she looked back down. Shikamaru decided that he had to do something. He prepared the hand sign and focused his chakra. 'Shadow Possession no Jutsu!' Hinata quickly took notice; she felt her body moving without her control. Shikamaru held his finger up to his lips so Hinata would stay quiet. He moved closer to her and shortened the shadow's length. "Hinata," he whispered, "let me help you. Trust me, I know what's going through your mind." He turned his head so her voice wouldn't easily reach Naruto, "Shikamaru," she responded, "I appreciate the help, but this is something for me to do, not you." Shikamaru paused, as if shocked to hear that, then nodded and ended the jutsu.

Hinata began inching her way closer to Naruto. His hands were at his sides; his eyes were wandering from tree to tree. As she drew closer to him, her heart began to pound. Her body was shaking as a cold sensation flew up and down her spine. She finally reached his side. "Naruto," Hinata's voice was quivering with fear, "I've, um, been meaning to, uh, ask you something…" Naruto looked over to her in curiosity, "What is it, Hinata?" he asked. "Well, it's just that…I've been…wondering," the pauses between her words grew longer, "how you…feel, um, about…" her breathing became heavy. "Hinata," he interrupted, "I know this may sound weird coming from me, but you talk too much." She looked down at the ground, bowing her head as if to admit defeat. Just then, she felt something on her left hand. She looked down slowly to see what it was while Naruto whispered, "but it doesn't matter to me. If you want, I can be your voice." Her gaze finally reached her hand…and she saw Naruto holding it within his own. Her body melted. In that instant, all of her fears, all of her worries, all of her pains drifted away. It was a moment of true bliss. She soon found her voice and decided to speak without faltering, her volume switched off of low, "Naruto, thank you. And don't worry, I'll be my own voice. I won't need any help, and I've never needed any help as long as you're around to look after me." She brought her other hand over to his shoulder and leaned her head on him, as well. Finally, they reached the village, the same village where they had left as teammates and returned as soul mates, bonded together by eternity.


End file.
